Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E V S . K E N T U C K Y ames Franklin likes to talk about going 1-0 every week. It's his way of keeping everyone focused on the next game rather than on the sea- son as a whole. Put enough 1-0 weeks together, and they'll start adding up to good seasons. Put enough good seasons together, and they'll start adding up to good eras. That's what Penn State's matchup with Kentucky is all about. It does not in any way demean the Citrus Bowl, the city of Orlando or the 3ne folks at VRBO to acknowledge that the Nittany Lions had hoped to end their season somewhere else. They wanted to play for the Big Ten champi- onship and maybe even make the Col- lege Football Playo4. But they su4ered through a few 0-1 weeks, and as a re- sult, their goal shi5ed to making a New Year's Six bowl. Then Ohio State failed to beat Northwestern by triple-digits in the Big Ten Championship Game, and all those Peach Bowl hopes evaporated, too. So now the Lions 3nd themselves in Orlando. It's a lovely city, full of palm trees, lakes, golf courses and theme parks, and it's blessed with the kind of warm, subtropical weather that feels es- pecially soothing a5er a few months in the icy grip of a Northeastern winter. If you're into classic Disney movies or Harry Potter or tourist experiences in- volving alligators and/or manatees, or if you're just into staying warm, there's a lot to be said for the place. But the most appealing part of this trip for Penn State is the opportunity to do something the program has rarely done: win 10 or more games in three or more consecutive seasons. The Nittany Lions have only done it twice in their history, most recently in the 1980, '81 and '82 seasons. If Penn State is able to reach that 10-win plateau with a vic- tory over the Wildcats, Franklin will have another shiny object for his trophy case and another data point for fans, media and, most important, recruits, as he looks to make the case that his pro- gram is in the midst of a historically good run. "When you can do something that's never been done at Penn State before in the Big Ten era, I think that's a pretty strong statement," Franklin said. "It's J

• Cover